Guides / The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Complete Edition
Arthach Palace Ruins
The Arthach Palace Ruins serve as a fortified Hanse base in northern Toussaint infested with bandits and guard dogs. Geralt explores the area to liberate the stronghold, prevent the garrison from lighting the alarm beacon, and eliminate the gang's commander. This assault also ties into the secondary quest "Knight for Hire" and the search for high-tier Cat School witcher diagrams.
- Region
- Duchy of Toussaint
- Levels
- Level 40
- Getting there
- Travel north through the Sansretour Marsh from Beauclair / Corvo Bianco along the main road
- Connects to
- Sansretour Marsh, Two satellite bandit camps (Camp A and Camp B), An estate directly to the east of the ruins
- Related quests
- Knight for Hire · Scavenger Hunt: Grandmaster Feline Gear
Services and people
Invaders and enemies 1
- Antoine "Starling" Straggen · Hanse base boss and bandit leaderTop floor of the central ruined tower
Services 4
- Blacksmith · Crafting and smithingCenter of the ruins
- Grindstone · Weapon upgrade benchNear the blacksmith's workshop
- Armorer's Table · Armor upgrade benchNear the blacksmith's workshop
- Arthach Palace Ruins signpost · Fast travelJust outside the ruins
The short version
What matters
- •Grandmaster Feline trousers and boots diagrams found in the red chest beside the northern beacon platform.
- •Toussaint knight's steel sword blueprint, captain's gauntlets, and Straggen's notes found inside the central tower bedchamber.
- •Liberating the fortress to earn 100 crowns from Camerlengo for Knight for Hire and unlocking a local Blacksmith vendor.
- •Leaving Straggen alive if you want an infinite respawn loop of level 40 bandits for farming gold and weapons.
Common mistakes
- •Letting the runner light the northern signal fire, which floods the palace ruins with reinforcements from peripheral camps.
- •Slaying Antoine "Starling" Straggen prematurely if you intended to use the base for continuous combat and weapon farming.
- •Rushing into the courtyard center where crossbow fire and swarming shield bearers can easily stunlock you.
Walkthrough
The area in the order you play it. Tick things off as you go: they tick off in the checklists below too.
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1
Marsh Approach
Follow the main highway north out of Beauclair or Corvo Bianco through the Sansretour Marsh until you hit the Arthach Palace Ruins signpost at the outer perimeter. Decide whether to strike the two peripheral satellite camps beforehand, as doing so halts reinforcements, while skipping them shifts those camps into Guarded Treasures held by wild dogs and Kikimore Workers once the main base falls. Draw out the outer guards toward the marsh bridge in isolated squads rather than charging into the compound head-on.
Key fight: Antoine "Starling" Straggen and Hanse GarrisonTip: Coat your steel blade with Hanged Man's Venom and prepare Northern Wind or Dancing Star bombs for crowd control.
Watch out: Charging past the perimeter without clearing sentries will drag the entire outer garrison into the courtyard behind you.
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2
Courtyard Assault
Pass through the stone archways into the east entrance courtyard and ground-level ruined halls, cutting down patrolling level 40 Hanse swordsmen, crossbowmen, and attack dogs. Funnel the large mob through ruined doorways and archways where you can burn them with Igni, shatter them with Aard Sweep or Piercing Cold, and bypass shield bearers with Axii. Strip the fallen host of their armors, swords, and maces as you clear the lower grounds.
Key fight: Antoine "Starling" Straggen and Hanse GarrisonTip: Drop Grapeshot bombs or unleash Piercing Cold at tight choke points to blast apart packed groups of bandits.
Watch out: Getting surrounded by this massive mob will stunlock Geralt and leave you vulnerable to elevated crossbowmen.
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3
Signal Fire Interception
Push rapidly toward the raised northern stone platform where a designated torchbearer attempts to light a signal fire.
Key fight: Antoine "Starling" Straggen and Hanse GarrisonTip: Stun the sprinting torchbearer with Axii or knock him flat with Aard to stop him from setting the fire ablaze.
Watch out: Allowing the torchbearer to light the signal fire summons surrounding camp reinforcements and caps the battle at around 40 enemies.
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4
The Tower Duel
Climb the ladder and wooden staircase inside the central ruined tower to enter the rooftop bedchamber where Hanse leader Antoine "Starling" Straggen awaits. Duel Straggen by parrying his melee swings and stunning him with Axii, making your choice to either finish him or spare him; slaying him completes the base objective for the Knight for Hire quest, whereas leaving him alive lets all lower-level bandits, dogs, and gear respawn endlessly when you meditate or fast travel. Ransack his quarters to loot the furniture and grab the book resting on his mattress.
Key fight: Antoine "Starling" Straggen and Hanse GarrisonTip: Stun Straggen with Axii to land uncontested heavy strikes during the rooftop fight.
Watch out: Slaying Antoine "Starling" Straggen permanently converts the fortress into a garrison, removing the ability to infinitely farm gold and weapons here.
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5
Post-Clearance Garrison
Return to the courtyard once Straggen lies dead to find the ruins reclaimed by Toussaint Ducal Guards alongside a civilian Blacksmith. Trade with this newly arrived craftsman to purchase runestones and crafting components, or sell off the massive piles of leveled weaponry gathered from the slain bandits. Head to Camerlengo afterward to turn in your Knight for Hire progress for a payout of 100 crowns.
Tip: Sell your excess bandit weaponry directly to the freshly spawned Blacksmith to clear carry weight immediately.
Choices here
What you decide here and what it leads to.
Signal fire torchbearer
While fighting through the ruins as a bandit runs toward the northern beacon
- Kill him before he lights the beacon→ Keeps the enemy forces limited to the roughly 40 bandits already present
- Let the torchbearer ignite the beacon→ Reinforcements from nearby camps rush the palace, greatly increasing the total number of bandits you must fight
Most players pick: Kill him before he lights the beacon
Antoine "Starling" Straggen's fate
Upon reaching the bandit leader at the top of the central ruined tower
- Slay Straggen→ Completes this Hanse base for the "Knight for Hire" quest, hands the area over to the Ducal Guard, brings a friendly blacksmith merchant to the courtyard, and permanently halts bandit respawns
- Spare Straggen and leave the tower→ Keeps the lower-level bandits and attack dogs respawning whenever you leave or meditate, allowing continuous weapon, loot, and gold farming
Most players pick: Slay Straggen
Killing Straggen permanently prevents the bandits from respawning here.
Checklists
Items
0/7
Secrets
0/2
Key fights
Enemies: Antoine "Starling" Straggen, Hanse Bandits (swordsmen, shieldbearers, archers), and Hanse dogs
Threats: Hanse torchbearers rushing to light the northern signal fire beacon to summon waves of reinforcements, heavy bludgeoning/slashing hammer attacks from Straggen that stagger and break guards, rapid dog lunges, and crossfire from archers
Weaknesses and resistances: Weaknesses: Hanged Man's Venom (humans), Beast Oil (dogs), Igni (burns unarmored targets), Aard (knocks down bandits on elevated catwalks/stairs), Northern Wind and Samum bombs; Resistances: high physical armor and blocking
Tactics: Tactics & Positions: Intercept and eliminate the torchbearer sprint before they reach the northern signal fire bonfire to prevent endless reinforcements; funnel approaching bandits and guard dogs through the narrow stairwells and wooden bridge chokepoints using Igni or Aard; ascend the high ground to the top platform/tower roof to isolate Antoine "Starling" Straggen, dodging his slow, heavy two-ha
Rewards: Rewards: Antoine "Starling" Straggen's notes, Diagram: Toussaint knight's steel sword, Diagram: Toussaint Ducal Guard Captain's gauntlets, Hanse base clearance (liberating the ruins to Ducal Guard control), and quest progression for "Knight for Hire".
Enemies
Standard Hanse foot soldiers that attempt to ignite the signal fire to summon more reinforcements
Fast attack hounds that support the Hanse bandits
The heavily equipped leader of the Hanse base found atop the tower ruins
Tips
- If you want an infinite gold and experience farming spot, kill all the Hanse bandits without eliminating Antoine Straggen, fast travel away to sell their weapons, and return to find the base repopulated.
Not listed for this area: shops and people.
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